The Princess and the Ogre
by doomgipsy
Summary: All little girls love fairytales.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We, sadly, don't own anything.

Spoilers: General all season spoilers.

Soo…one day gipsy and doomcherries decided that writing a joint fic would be awesome. The basis of the story is gipsy's idea, doomcherries is just along for the ride. ;)

MAJOR thanks to ardvari for the wonderful beta.

Part One of Three (so far)!

* * *

-She was amazed to discover that when he was saying "As you wish", what he meant was, "I love you."-_The Princess Bride_

Grissom knocked on the door softly before poking his head in, "I hear there's a little girl asking for me?" He looked around the bubble gum pink room for any sign of his curly haired daughter. "This is strange; this looks like Lucy's room." He picked up a fuzzy haired teddy bear. "And this looks like Lucy's Boo Bear, but I don't see Lucy so I must have the wrong room."

Grissom tiptoed around the small canopy bed, his eyes locked on the closet where Lucy frequently hid. Tripping on a tutu, he knocked his toe against the bed frame and the stuffed bear landed unceremoniously on the floor. "Fu-"

A muffled giggle came from under the bed.

Grissom sat on the edge of the bed swallowing another curse as he rubbed his injured toe. "Well it's really too bad because I had a great bedtime story to tell Lucy."

He watched amused as a little hand quickly darted from under the bed to rescue Boo Bear.

"Oh, well I guess I'll be going now." He tucked his legs on the tiny bed frame and slowly lowered an arm to the floor to support him as he peaked under the bed.

"Boo!"

His daughter shrieked like only a five-year-old little girl can do before giving in to a fit of laughter that went straight to his heart.

She crawled from under the bed, waving the fuzzy bear in front of her. "Daddy! You dropped Boo Bear!" She gave him a pout that was so reminiscent of the one he sometimes got from her mother; he had to smile.

"If a certain little girl had put her toys away," he picked up the frilly culprit off the floor, "then Daddy wouldn't have tripped and Boo Bear wouldn't have fallen."

"It's not a toy!" she replied in her best indignant tone. "It's my night dress." She pulled the tutu over her pajamas and flashed him a nearly toothless smile. "See?"

Grissom nodded and watched as Lucy crawled up on the bed. "I see. Is Boo Bear hurt anywhere?"

She scooted closer to him, handing over the bear. "His nose is hurt", she said, a small pout still firmly planted on her angelic face. Taking the bear from her hands, Grissom kissed the offended bear's muzzle. He handed it back to her with a smile. "There, is that better?"

"Me too, me too!" she giggled, grinning as he kissed her little turned up nose. "Okay, Daddy. Now you can tell your story." She tucked the teddy bear between them and laid her head on the pillow.

Grissom shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning against the tiny headboard. "Did you want a story about Lulu the Ladybug or Cathy the Caterpillar?"

"No, Daddy!" She shook her head vigorously. "I want a story about a princess and a monster!"

"A monster?" Grissom looked at the little girl's expectant eyes that were undeniably like his and wondered when exactly she had stopped looking less like a baby and more like a little person.

"You know Daddy, like Shrek?" She rolled her eyes, another facial expression that mimicked Sara's.

"You want a story about a Princess and an Ogre?" Frowning slightly, Grissom searched his memory for the movie his daughter was referring to. "Maybe I should get Mommy for this one."

"No!" the little girl exclaimed, tugging on his arm as if to hold him in place. "You can do it Daddy, you can make it up." It's the faith that his daughter had in him that stopped him from admitting defeat. _Stick with what you know, isn't that what they say?_

He smiled, "Alright." The freckles on his daughter's cheeks were all the inspiration he needed to spontaneously come up with the perfect fairytale. "This is a story about a princess named Sar…Sarafina and an ogre named… Gilberto."

"That's a silly name!" Lucy laughed.

"Well, it was a very silly ogre," Grissom agreed with a small laugh.

The little girl turned on her left side to face him, her attention now fully captured. "Where did they live?"

"Franciscoland," Grissom replied without missing a beat. "It happened a long time ago, almost 15 years ago."

"Wow!" Lucy's eyes widened with interest.

"Gilberto was an unhappy ogre traveling the planet in search of eternal happiness. One day as he passed Franciscoland, he felt something magical that told him to stop. So he did. He didn't know it then, but this land was where princess Sarafina lived. The princess he dreamed of every night when he went to sleep."

_San Francisco. Land of opportunity for all those families that helped spawn the Gold Rush._

_His current home for the next two weeks._

_Sighing, mostly to himself, he picked up his briefcase and pushed open the double doors to the mostly vacated lecture hall. Out of nearly four hundred seats, only thirty were occupied by tired and drained looking college__ students. Lackadaisical faces stared back at him, all of them from the middle to back rows._

_All except one._

_Front and center, a bright-eyed brunette with a mass of curls held back by a ponytail stared back at him almost eagerly. His eyes fixed on hers for a moment and he offered a small smile. She smiled back and his breath caught as her whole face lit up with a youthful beauty. There was something very comforting, almost familiar, about the young woman._

_Tearing away from her face (lips), he motioned the people in back to come forward._

"_I know being here at eight in the morning probably isn't high on your list of priorities, but I can get quite enthusiastic about my samples and would love it if all of you could see them." _

_He heard the collective groans of disappointment. Who wanted to spend two weeks during summer learning something as "stupid" as anthropology and entomology in relation to criminalistic? _

_He continued waving them down until the last student shuffled into the fourth row. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he continued, "I'm Dr. Gil Grissom and I'm from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I'm here because thirty of you willingly, or unwillingly, decided to take this course. I hope you'll be able to gain something useful within these next two weeks."_

_Walking around the desk, he leaned against it, crossing his legs at the ankles. Focusing on the curly haired brunette, the only person that seemed even remotely interested, he started with his carefully rehearsed lecture._

_The young woman's attention never wavered. Her intelligent brown gaze squinting in concentration, she even offered an occasional nod of encouragement. He risked a look around the room, encountering only taciturn faces before settling back on hers for the rest of the class._

_At the end of his lecture, students left hurriedly before he had a chance to dismiss them and a raised arm was the only thing that saved the class from being his most dreadful one to date._

"_Yes, miss?" _

"_Sidle. Sara Sidle." She had a beautiful husky tone to her voice that made her sound more mature than the early twenties he guessed her to be._

_Dear God, if she were that young, he was in trouble._

"_You had a question miss Sidle?" _

"_Several actually- " she was interrupted by a few students failing to make an inconspicuous exit as they practically had to climb over her to reach the door._

_She muffled a laugh as she caught his look of desperation and rose from her seat to meet him. She smiled up at him, "I wouldn't take it personally Dr. Grissom, some people just can't appreciate the knowledge you can gain from a lecture such as yours." _

_God, her smirk would be the death of him._

_He took in her lengthy and thin frame as she walked nonchalantly towards him and he couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her denim clad legs._

_Legs, legs, legs for miles. Jesus._

_She offered her hand as she neared him, her long slender fingers remaining the only thing between them. Grasping her hand, he felt electricity rush through him at the simple touch of her creamy skin. The heartwarming smile that accompanied it along with the freckles adorning her features rendered him momentarily speechless. _

_If he believed in such things, Gil Grissom would have thought he'd just been struck by Cupid._

_Maybe he would leave his heart in San Francisco, like the old song described.  
_

"Gilberto being the stubborn Ogre he was didn't immediately recognize Sarafina as his true love, but her presence convinced him to stay in Franciscoland a little longer."

Grissom tucked a blanket around his daughter whose little cold feet were now firmly planted on his legs. "How am I doing so far, Lucy?"

"You're doing great Daddy." To Grissom's dismay, her animated tone gave no sign of sleepiness. "Princess Sarafina sounds really pretty, was she wearing a crown? Because in Shrek, all the princesses have crowns."

_Some unruly curls had escaped out of her ponytail and were now stubbornly sticking up in the air. When the sun hit the little frizzies, it created a soft glow around her head giving her almost an ethereal quality._

"Yes, she was wearing a gold crown."

"Then what happened?" the little girl asked expectantly. "Did Gilberto go to her Castle?"

"No." Grissom almost choked on his answer. "No, it would be a while before Sarafina invites Gilberto to her Castle. Although that first night they met, the Princess did invite him to dinner."

He was surprised at the number of questions she posed, but was more than happy to spend the time answering her. It wasn't every day a student was this into what he had to say.

_Looking up at the clock, at the door and then back at the clock, Sara finally turned back to him. The smile that slowly crept onto her face almost made him blush._

"_If you're free, wanna grab something to eat?" she asked, shoving her hands into her pockets. _

_He smiled back at her. "Yes. Yes, I'd like that."_

_If it was possible, he thought he saw her grin grow. "Great." _

"Wow, Sarafina is super cool."

Grissom chuckled at his daughter's latest favorite expression. He nodded in agreement, "Yes, Sarafina was indeed very cool."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We, sadly, don't own anything.

Spoilers: General all season spoilers.

Soo…one day gipsy and doomcherries decided that writing a joint fic would be awesome. The basis of the story is gipsy's idea, doomcherries is just along for the ride. ;)

MAJOR thanks to ardvari for the wonderful beta.

Part Two of Three (so far)!

RL issues will delay the posting of the next part. But never fear, it will be up!

* * *

"Are you afraid to kiss me?" "I'm afraid you'll break my heart."

"Then seal your heart, for you are Dear to me."-_Legend_

Grissom was trying to figure out exactly how to continue with this so-called fairytale when Lucy exclaimed rather suddenly, "Did she know? Gilberto didn't know Sarafina was his Princess, but did she know?" Her brow furrowed in thought.

He looked down at his daughter dumbfounded. What started as an innocent way to put his daughter to sleep was now bringing back unwanted memories; in some instances he really had been a monster to his Princess.

_"You've always been a little more than a boss to me. Why do you think I moved to Vegas?"_

"Yes, I believe she did know," he finally admitted.

Lucy nodded slowly, her little face solemn. "Did she follow him to the Forest when he left?"

Grissom looked down at his daughter, confused. "The Forest?"

The little girl gave an exasperated sigh as she hugged her teddy bear closer to her chest. "That's where Shrek lives."

"Oh." He really needed to pay more attention when he watched movies with his daughter. "No. She…she stayed in Franciscoland for a while longer. But eventually, Gilberto did convince her to come to the Forest." Lucy's blue eyes peered into his and he frowned at the thought of what he could have missed. "He needed to see her again."

"And Gilberto wasn't silly anymore and he knew that he loved Sarafina?" Her voice had gone softer and he hoped she would fall asleep soon so he could go to her mother and show her just how much he did love her.

He shook his head sadly; "It took him a little longer I'm afraid. He didn't think Sarafina could love an old Ogre like him."

_She didn't know what would be the last draw, but this was close._

_Something happened between them when they were in San Francisco, she had felt it. He'd actually smiled at her back then. He'd actually been interested in what she had to say. Hell, he'd even agreed to have dinner with her._

_But now she could barely even get him to look at her, let alone speak with her. _

_She assumed things would continue when she came here. God, words couldn't describe how happy she was to finally get a call from him. _

_She should have known. Sara never considered herself a naïve woman; her childhood had left little room for naivety, but her actions regarding him left her surprised. He constantly pushed her away, ignored her and she still had hope._

_But now she was fuming. He knew she didn't eat meat. He knew it! He was there when they did the pig experiment and he heard her mention how she would never eat meat after this._

_He was a pig. A thoughtless pig. _

_Letting out a deep, pent up sigh, she finally knocked on his office door._

_"What is this?" he asked, holding the document she had left on his desk earlier._

_"It's, uh, just what it says: It's a request for a leave of absence--six months...a year maybe."_

_He looked surprised. Good._

_"Why?"_

_"I was thinking of checking out the federal government system--FBI..."_

_She was lying, but he didn't know that. Leaving was the goal here._

_Her frown almost deepened at his comical scoff. "We have the best lab in the country."_

_"I need a different work environment."_

_Puzzled. "What does that mean?"_

_She sighed, "One with um, communication...respect."_

_There, she said it._

_The small smile on his face made her want to vomit. God this man was dense._

_"Everyone here respects you," he said with a smile. _

_"You don't."_

_"Is this about that hamburger thing?"_

_She couldn't believe this guy. Yes Grissom, it's about the hamburger thing because I'm that petty!_

_Jesus._

_"No, Grissom...this is not about that "hamburger" thing. I...I don't believe you. How can you reduce everything that I've said to some kind of single quirk? Do you think the problem here is just about me?" _

_The look of complete and utter shock on his face should have made her feel better. It didn't._

_"If you don't sign my leave, I'm going to have to quit," she said._

_More silence from the Boss of the Year. This should have made things easier, but it didn't. What an awkward way to end things._

_Turning to leave, she was stopped by his voice. "Hey, Sara?"_

_She didn't want to have to see him again, but she turned around._

_"The lab needs you here."_

_Fake smile. "Great."_

"Oh no, Daddy, Sarafina can't leave!" Lucy exclaimed, the distress in her voice was apparent.

"Don't worry, Sarafina didn't leave," Grissom said softly.

"Oh, good. But Gilberto wasn't being nice." Her voice resounded with a confident air.

Grissom cocked an eyebrow. "No?"

"No," she shook her head confidently. "He should have known Sarafina didn't like 'amburger. Hey," she exclaimed loudly, "Sarafina's like Mommy!"

Grissom hesitated only a second and smiled. "Yes, honey, both Sarafina and Mommy don't like meat."

"Do you think Sarafina and Mommy would be friends?"

God, the things that came out of his daughter's mouth. "I don't see why they wouldn't be."

"Good."

"You must be getting sleepy now? We can continue tomorrow-"

"No! More, Daddy, I'm not sleepy!"

"Alright, but just a little bit more okay?" He tried to sound firm but judging by the grin on Lucy's face, he was failing miserably.

Lucy sighed, "Okay, Daddy. But I wanna know how Gilberto made Sarafina stay."

"Ah, well you see, Gilberto had a good friend that made him realize how silly he was being," Grissom said, remembering how Catherine not so subtly reprimanded him for his shortcomings.

"Like Donkey?"

Grissom almost choked on his own saliva. Did his daughter just compare Catherine to a donkey? If only she knew. Clearing his throat, he replied, "Yeah, like Donkey. Except her name was…Caterina."

"Oh," her small voice was full of wonder. "What did Caterina say?"

_"I heard about you and…uh…Sara."_

_Grissom looked up at his coworker and friend. He let out a small scoff. "Sara, you know, she gets very emotional."_

_"Are you in denial?" she asked, her tone incredulous. "No, that's…no, no…way too analytical. Wow, you got burned bad, huh? Welcome to the club." She rose her glass in a mock toast. "I got third degree burns from my marriage. Happens to everybody. Everybody just moves on."_

_He was quickly reminded why he didn't like even a slightly drunk Catherine. Grissom forced a smile, "Good. Let's move on."_

_She ignored his plea. "But you have to deal with it. You have to deal with it first." God, her voice sounded almost frantic. "You got to deal with it before it goes away. You are the supervisor. You have responsibilities, and people are making a family around you whether you like it or not, whether you give them permission or not. We don't have to go to the Grand Tetons together, just…everyone now and then you got to lift your head up out of that microscope."_

_He stared at her, blinking, before giving a small nod. "Yeah." _

"Caterina told Gilberto to stop being so silly and realize what he had right in front of him."

"She sounds smart," Lucy said.

Grissom laughed, "She's very smart."

"Then what did Gilberto do?"

"Well, Gilberto bought the lovely Sarafina an orchid, which is a type of flower." His mind flashed to the potted orchid sitting on the kitchen counter and a smile crept on his face. After all those years, she had kept that damn plant.

"Oh, I'm glad."

Leaning over, he kissed his daughter's forehead. "I'm glad, too." He shifted to a more comfortable position on the small bed, trying as best as he could not to disturb his daughter. "A little more?"

Lucy nodded. "A little more."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Mickey Mouse ears he bought for Lucy just weeks ago and he got a new bout of inspiration.

"One time, Gilberto brought Sarafina to a fair where they had roller coasters. Like the one at Disney World."

"Mommy said she couldn't ride the big ones with you because it could hurt the baby in her tummy." She rubbed her own belly as she spoke the words like she'd seen her mother do so often.

Grissom nodded. "That's true. But I don't think your mother has ever been very fond of them anyway…In fact I don't think Sarafina liked them very much either."

_Grissom glanced inconspicuously at her lips.They were pinked by the candy apple they were sharing and he very much wanted to kiss them. _

_He'd wanted to kiss Sara since the moment he stepped foot in her home the previous night but it hardly seemed like the right place and time. She had needed a friend, somebody to confide in and he hoped that he had been able to provide that as he'd awkwardly held her hand._

_"So this is your idea of fun?" She waived at the array of junk food stand. "Pigging out?"_

_"No actually," he pointed at the roller coaster directly behind them, "That is my idea of fun."_

_She frowned slightly. "You got to be kidding?" _

_"Nope."_

_"The Devil's Ride?" Her words were drowned by a choir of screams above them. "Maybe this candy apple wasn't such a good idea-"_

_"Obviously if you have a week stomach-"_

_"Excuse me!" She looked at him in disbelief, her jaw hanging slightly. "I have a stomach of steel, have I ever been sick? Even through our worst decomps-"_

_He raised his hand in surrender and flashed at teasing grin. "Hey! I'm just saying this is different; the motion itself might provoke a physical reaction beyond your control. I wouldn't think less of you." He winked at her and squeezed her shoulder gently._

_"Yeah..." She exhaled loudly. "Grissom, why are we here?" She looked at him furtively, her gaze not quite meeting his. _

_"Sara?" He lifted her chin and frowned at the unshed tears he found in her eyes. "We don't have to be here. I'll bring you home if that's what you want."_

_She shook her head almost imperceptibly. "No, I like being here with you." She cleared her throat and smiled weakly. "It's just…the one day you're there to witness one of my self pity party, you suddenly want to spend time with me and I can't help but question your motivation."_

_"Well it's not out of pity if that's what you're implying. I have nothing but admiration and respect for you." He repeated the following words in his head before speaking them out loud. He knew he couldn't let any more moments pass him by. "Sara, I missed you." _

_He didn't give her time to reply. "I miss you, the woman I met in San Francisco. I've gotten to know you professionally, I've gotten to know my colleague but I don't know anything about you anymore and that saddens me. It's my fault, I know, but I want to change that…if you'll let me."_

_There was a blissful moment of silence between them and Sara reached for his hand. She laced her fingers with his, the tremble of her hand soon soothed by the warmth of his and together they walked bravely towards the Devil's Ride. They had been through their share of roller coasters; they'd survive this one too. _

"And they rode the roller coaster together once." He whispered in his daughter's ear. "Don't tell anyone but Sarafina was sick to her stomach afterwards and refused to go when Gilberto went the second time."

"Oh no!" Lucy giggled. "I'm glad Gilberto was nice to Sarafina this time though."

"So am I Lucy. So am I." He answered with a smile.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We, sadly, don't own anything.

Spoilers: General all season spoilers.

Soo…one day gipsy and doomcherries decided that writing a joint fic would be awesome. The basis of the story is gipsy's idea, doomcherries is just along for the ride. ;)

MAJOR thanks to ardvari for the wonderful beta.

Part Three of Four

We thank you for your patience with this chapter. Despite RL, we managed to churn this sucker out quite quickly. :)

* * *

_"What are you doing? You know, you should sweep me off my feet out yonder window and down a rope onto your valiant steed. "_

_-Princess Fiona from Shrek_

"_Now _did Sarafina invite Gilberto to her castle?" Lucy asked, peering up at her father.

Grissom glanced down at his daughter and hoped she couldn't see the blush creeping up his cheeks. "No, not yet. Sarafina and Gilberto were still learning how to be friends."

Lucy's tiny face scrunched up in confusion. "They're not friends?"

"Well…yes. But Gilberto hadn't always been nice to Sarafina, so she was afraid he was still a mean old ogre. It's hard work being friend with an ogre, Lucy."

Hugging her bear tighter, she leaned closer to her dad and Grissom wrapped a protective arm around her tiny figure. "At least Gilberto was trying," she said sleepily.

"Yes, Gilberto was trying." He kissed the top of her head. "Did you know Gilberto almost lost Mo—Sarafina?"

She shook her head of curls, "Did a monster try and steal her?"

"Yes, a very bad monster. But don't worry, Sarafina was okay and the monster was taken away."

"Kinda like when Lord Farquad wanted Fiona for his'self?"

Grissom nodded, even though he couldn't remember who Farquad was. "Yeah. Kind of like that."

Lucy looked up, "Did Gilberto make her dinner after she was almost stolen?"

He laughed to himself. _Lucy, my little matchmaker. Soon, she'll give Catherine a run for her money. _"No, not exactly."

"Well, what did he do?"

"My little Lucy, why are you becoming frustrated?" he asked, trying not to laugh at his daughter's annoyed tone.

"Well, Gilberto's being such…such a dweeb!"

This time Grissom did laugh. "Oh?"

"He should just have made her dinner! Shrek made Fiona rats for dinner!"

He hugged Lucy, "Oh, honey, somehow I don't think Sarafina would eat rats. But Gilberto did visit her at her castle after the encounter with the monster. Would you like to hear about that?"

"Yes," she said, nodding enthusiastically.

_For what seemed like hours, Grissom contemplated leaving his car and actually going up to her door. But he just sat there, watching her window for any sign of movements. Looking down at his hands, he realized he was gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white._

_Releasing his grip, he sighed._

_He could have lost her tonight. Visions of Adam Trent's hands on her flashed before his eyes and he could still feel his blood boil at the thought._

_Looking up, he saw her silhouette through the drawn curtains and he felt his breath hitch in his throat. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was out of his car and walking towards her apartment. When he reached her door, he stared at it for a few minutes and glanced backwards. 'It's too late to turn back now, Gil'_

_He knocked twice and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. When she opened the door, he blew out a sigh of relief. There she stood, clad in her robe, hair pulled back and feet adorned with bunny slippers._

"_Grissom? What are you doing here?" Sara asked, hugging herself._

_He blinked. "I don't know."_

_She laughed. Oh, did he love her laugh. "Well, I guess I should appreciate your honesty."_

_She moved aside and allowed him to enter. Shutting the door, Sara watched him watch her cautiously. Under his intense gaze, she shifted uncomfortably._

"_He cut you," Grissom said softly, staring at the small red line on her neck._

"_It's okay."_

"_No, it's not, Sara. He could have really hurt you. I," he looked down at his feet, "I could have lost you."_

_Sara looked up at him and swallowed hard. "I'm not yours to lose."_

"_You could be," he whispered. Stepping closer, he wrapped his arms around her frame and felt her tense slightly before she completely relaxed. Inhaling the clean scent of her hair, he pressed a small kiss to her shoulder._

_Hearing the choked sob against his ear and feeling the push of her hands on his chest, he backed up. She batted at her tear-lined eyes, hoping he didn't notice._

"_Grissom, why now?" she asked, her voice rough._

_Brushing past him as she walked into the kitchen, Sara braced herself on the kitchen counter, her back to him. "Why not sooner? I've given you plenty of opportunities."_

_She laughed, but no contempt could be found in her tone. Letting out a shaky sigh, she turned slowly to face him, her gaze locking with his._

"_I've always wanted you," Grissom admitted, taking a small step towards her. "I wanted you from the minute I met you, and I want you now. But when it comes to you, Sara" he took another step closer, "I…I can't seem to think rationally."_

_They were inches apart and Sara could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise. "Tonight just reminded me how much I need you."_

"_You need me?" _

_In response to her question, Grissom merely nodded. "Always."_

_Her shoulders visibly slumped, "You know how long I've waited for this?"_

_Grissom shook his head. _

"_A long time. But sometimes I can't help but think this is out of pity." She saw him wincing at her words but she carried on. "You have to see it from my point of view. We recently just got our friendship back after I told you about my family and now…now, you're offering me more than that. And I want it, Grissom, I do. But I can't afford to get hurt anymore."_

_Bringing his hand to her face, Grissom gently cupped her cheek and Sara's eyes fluttered shut at his touch. When she licked her lips, he felt his self-control snap and he finally gave in to the burning need to kiss her._

_A shiver shot down her spine when his lips touched hers, and she gave a little gasp into his mouth. His lips were soft and molded perfectly to hers. If there was such a thing as perfection, this was it._

_He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. His voice was soft as he spoke. "I'm sorry about th—" _

_She cut him off with another kiss. "Had to," she smiled._

_He traced her bottom lip with his thumb, not quite believing what was happening. "What now?"_

"_Now?" She brought him in a hug and inhaled deeply. "Now we have dinner."_

"_Yeah. Yeah, okay." He could feel her smiling against his shoulder. "Dinner."_

"Gilberto and Sarafina are together now?"

"Well, yes and no," Grissom said, kissing the top of her curls.

Lucy sighed. "Why not?"

"Sometimes falling in love isn't easy, Lucy," Grissom shifted until he was completely lying down and Lucy followed, resting her head near her father's. "Gilberto was an ogre and had never loved anyone before and Sarafina was a beautiful princess and was afraid the ogre would hurt her feelings. They both had to learn to trust each other."

"Oh." Her little brow furrowed in thought. "Why are grown-ups so weird?"

Grissom laughed. "I don't know Lucy. It's one of Life's greatest mysteries."

The little girl sighed dramatically. "So when did they know they were together for real?"

Grissom shrugged. "It just happened one day…"

He looked past his daughter, lost in the memory of that fateful Sunday. He didn't remember all the details of how and why it happened, or who said what to whom.

But he did remember the first brush of his hand across her breast. The first time he placed a kiss in the hollow of her throat. The first time he touched her most sensitive flesh. The first time she called him Gil.

They never discussed it but to him that was when he just _knew_.

_Sara woke up to a warm body curled up firmly against hers. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, it took her only a brief moment to realize whose body it was. Looking at Grissom's peaceful features while he slept, she felt a wave of newfound serenity wash over her. _

_This wasn't as complicated and messy as she'd imagined it would be. It was so simple. So scarily simple that it made her wonder why they had waited so long. But she wouldn't open that can of worm, not now, not ever._

_This was It. It with a capital I._

_She could have spent hours rationalizing to herself the "why" behind their getting together but it didn't matter. She knew that Nick's tragic ordeal had only precipitated the inevitable. They might have danced around each other for a while longer but eventually they would have ended in the same place. They both knew it was just a matter of time._

_Grissom stirred slightly under the gentle caress of her hand on his cheek and when he opened his eyes and saw the disheveled woman in front of him it dawned on him that he might still be dreaming. He reached for her, wanting to make sure she was real and rested his hand at the apex of her thigh. He never knew skin could be this soft. _

_Her smile almost stretched off her face. "Morning Gil." _

_The husky whisper made his heart jump (among other things) and he couldn't remember ever seeing such beauty. She was all grin, freckles and milky skin and he was hers, completely. Infatuated couldn't begin to describe how he felt about her; life began and would end with Sara. It wasn't a revelation as much as an acknowledgement. _

"_I love you."_

_Her smile grew wider as her hand grew bolder. "Show me."_

_And he did._

Lucy's voice snapped him out of his reverie. "So they had a sleepover?"

Grissom was sure his face was now scarlet. "Sure. A sleepover, yes of course."

"Did they watch movies and play games?"

"Games…yes." Grissom struggled to regain his composure. He risked an eye at the clock; surely his daughter would be sound asleep soon so he could go play "games" with Sara. "In fact, I'm pretty sure they played Chess."

"Mommy says she always beats you at Chess."

"That's because Daddy always lets Mommy win." He winked at Lucy, bringing a heartfelt giggle out of her. "But you can't tell her, she gets upset when she loses."

"I won't." The little girl brought a finger to her lips as she whispered. "I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: We, sadly, don't own anything.

Spoilers: General all season spoilers.

Soo…one day gipsy and doomcherries decided that writing a joint fic would be awesome. The basis of the story is gipsy's idea, doomcherries is just along for the ride. ;)

MAJOR thanks to ardvari for the wonderful beta.

Part Four of Four

This is sadly the last chapter of this fic. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing it.

* * *

"_So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?"  
__**"**__She rescues him right back."_

_-Pretty Woman_

Sara leaned on the doorframe, delighted at the affectionate display in front of her. She loved watching Grissom interact with their daughter. The way his eyes lit up when Lucy talked to him had long ago quelled his own admitted fears of being a parent.

_Grissom brought the stick closer to the fluorescent washroom light, he stared at the distinct two lines and read the back of the box lying on the counter for the fifth time._

_Sitting on the edge of the tub, Sara looked on, massaging her throbbing head. "Gil, the results are not going to change the longer you look at it." He glanced at the back of the box one more time. "But thanks for the moral support!" She added bitterly._

"_But how is this possible?" His face had been drained of all color. He took a seat next to her, handing her the stick with a shaky hand. "We've always been so careful."_

"_Well Mr. Scientist you know as well as I do that nothing is fool proof. It is what it is…we'll just have to deal with it." She looked down in her lap, biting her bottom lip in an effort to keep the tears at bay. "Let's… let this sink in and tomorrow we can talk about what options—"_

"_Oh, Sara, no!" He brought her in an embrace, and kissed her hair gently. "That's not what I meant." He lifted her chin and lost himself in the eyes of the only woman he ever loved. "God, no! I would never think of not having this child. I just never thought of myself as father material but I'll learn. We'll learn…"_

_She nodded slowly. "We'll learn…" Sara laced their fingers and brought their hands to the gentle swell of her belly. "You know Gil, I think you'll surprise yourself."_

_When Lucy was born several months later, Grissom had been the one calming her down when she felt overwhelmed by her duties as a first time mom. Everybody, including Grissom himself, had been shocked at how naturally he had fallen into the role of Dad._

And spawn number two kicking her in the ribs was a definite reminder of his beloved fatherly role.

"I was wondering what you guys were up to," she called from the door. Her eyes went from the clock and to father and daughter cuddled up on the bed. "You're usually both sound asleep by this time."

Grissom stifled a yawn, smiling up at his wife. "Well, at least one of us is tired."

Sara perched herself on the mattress, holding her protruding belly, as Grissom slowly got up and she stroked Lucy's soft curls. "Sweetie, you have to get some sleep now, it's getting late."

"But Daddy is telling me a princess story and it's really good. Can he finish the story, Mommy?" The little girl pled.

"A princess story?" She smirked at Grissom across the bed. "What happened to Lulu the Ladybug?"

"This is better; Sarafina is much cooler than Lulu. She's a princess and she has a crown!"

"Sarafina the princess, uh?" She looked at a sheepish looking Grissom and she had to laugh. "What else did Daddy say about Sarafina?"

"Well she loves Gilberto the monster-"

"Hmm, Ogre-" Grissom interrupted.

"But she won't invite him to her castle because Gilberto is silly," the little girl continued.

"Sarafina sounds really smart," Sara replied in a muted laugh.

"She is, and really pretty too," Grissom added with a coy grin.

She waved him over to the bed and he knelt down on the opposite side, their hands met over their daughter's little frame. "I think you owe this little girl the end of a story," Sara said softly.

Grissom's brushed a curl off Lucy's forehead. "Let's see…

_They were going to kill them._

_It was one thing to keep their relationship a secret for two years. It was something entirely different to invite everyone to a backyard barbeque and have it turn out to be a wedding dinner._

"_Gil, Catherine is going to kill me, I can feel it," Sara whispered, looking out the kitchen window at her friends enjoying themselves on the deck._

"_Mmm, no she's not," came his reply. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "She's known me longer; my head'll be on the chopping block first."_

_She laughed and turned to kiss her husband. "Better not keep them waiting."_

_Grabbing her hand, Grissom led Sara out of the house and watched as the entire graveyard shift turned their attention to the duo. "You're all here because you are our closest friends and we wanted to share this wonderful spring afternoon with you," Grissom started._

_From behind her sunglasses, Sara could see Catherine eyeing both of them suspiciously. Everyone else looked on unaware of the bombshell they were about to drop._

_Grissom continued, "However, that is not the only reason we invited you over." Sara looked up at Grissom and smiled. She took a deep breath before taking over, "We got you all together to tell you that we got married."_

_Gasps emanated from the unsuspecting guests._

_Clearing his throat, Grissom continued, "Yes. And this is our wedding dinner that we wanted to share with you all."_

_Greg was the first to speak. "Whoa…seriously? Like," he waved his hands frantically, "seriously, you two? Married?" He turned to Nick, "Am I still on Earth?"_

_Sara laughed, squeezing Grissom's hand. "Get over it Greg!"_

_Nick nodded towards Catherine. "Hey, did you know about this?"_

_The redhead shook her head, never taking her eyes off of the couple. "No. When did this happen, Gil?"_

"_Well, we got engaged last October—"_

_His words were quickly cut off, "Last October! Married. Don't tell me Sara's pregnant."_

"_No." Grissom turned to look at Sara for reassurance. She smiled and shook her head. "No. Sara's not pregnant."_

"_Well, I for one, am happy for you," Brass started, coming up to shake Grissom's hand. "You better not hurt her, Gil, because I know people and you know these guys could hide the evidence," he said, thrusting a thumb back at Nick, Catherine, Warrick and Greg._

"_I love her, Jim." He could practically hear Sara smile from behind him._

_Patting his arm and offering a smile, Sara slipped away from the two men to join the other bewildered guests. _

"_Not too mad, are you, Catherine?"_

"_You know, I'm trying to be, but I can't," she said looking beyond Sara at Grissom. "I told him once to lift his head off the microscope. I'm just glad he finally listened."_

"_I am, too," Sara smirked._

"_But don't let him think he's off the hook quite yet," Catherine finished, walking off._

"_Hey, Sar!" Turning around, Sara felt herself being squeezed as Warrick's arms wrapped around her. _

_She should have known her friends wouldn't have been upset at the impromptu wedding ceremony. They were her family, their family. _

_She looked over at Catherine who was still glaring at Grissom._

_Okay so maybe they were never going to live this one down_

"Gilberto and Sarafina got married and had a beautiful little princess of their own named…Lucinda," Grissom said.

"And they lived happily ever after," Sara finished for him.

"Yes they did," Grissom whispered, looking lovingly at his wife.

"That's the best story ever-" Their daughter's words ended in a smile as her eyes fluttered shut, finally giving in to the world of dreams where Princesses and Ogres abounded.


End file.
